Since closing for a rebuild late last year, Toronto's Berczy Park has been transformed through a major design overhaul led by acclaimed landscape architects Claude Cormier + Associés. Though completion of the project has been delayed—it was most recently slated to open on November 3rd—the ongoing installation of finishing features like paving, greenery, and seating is bringing the public space closer to its final aesthetic.

West view from the east edge of Berczy Park, image by Forum contributor Razz

Replacing the concrete and asphalt surfaces from the park's earlier life, a new geometric paving pattern utilizes white, grey and red pavers to give the park's hard surfaces visual interest. With the process of laying the new pavers now practically complete, and work done on many of the park's softscaped elements, the bulk of construction activity has since shifted to other aspects of the park.

Landscaping at Berczy Park, image by Forum contributor Razz

The centrepiece of the new Berczy Park will be the large central fountain featuring a whimsical design incorporating 28 sculptures, 27 dogs in the company of a single cat. To date, the lone cat and a golden bone are the only sculptures that have been installed and unwrapped, though other sculptures have arrived on site. Below, crews can be seen installing finishing materials for the fountain's basin.

Ongoing work on Berczy Park's fountain, image by Forum contributor skycandy

Additional sculptures are now in place on the fountain's upper tier, currently protected by layers of bubble wrap.

Ongoing work on Berczy Park's fountain, image by Forum contributor skycandy

Joining the William Berczy Family Sculpture—which has graced the public space since the early 1980s—a new art installation by Luis Jacobs called 'Jacob's Ladder' will be installed on the opposite side of the park next year, towards the now partially-repaved Scott Street. As work on the Scott Street component continues, the park's western frontage recently had a group of Silva Cells installed, which are specifically designed to support healthy tree root growth in confined urban settings such as these. The Silva cells along the west edge of the site have since been covered with soil, and will soon be home to new trees.

Site of recently-installed Silva Cells along Scott Street, image by Forum contributor skycandy

In addition to the many aesthetic and environmental upgrades being conducted, the functionality of the park is also being improved. A major addition is all the new bench space, making the park more inviting for everyone, especially those with limited mobility.

New benches installed at Berczy Park, image by Forum contributor Razz

We will keep you updated as construction continues, and a finalized opening date for the park is announced. In the meantime, further information is available via our dataBase file, linked below. Want to share your thoughts? Leave a comment below, or join the conversation in our associated Forum thread—where regular photo updates also keep you up to date with the latest construction progress.

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